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What is better: yes / no radio, or simple checkbox?

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What is better: yes / no radio, or simple checkbox?

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1

In a very big form on my company's website, there's this tendency to use Yes / No radio buttons combination.

I can think of one argument of not using it, but it is not UX related: we need to maintain three states instead of just two: null, true and false for those fields.

Is there any argument, UX-wise, to use the checkbox instead?

Edit: We do not need to cover all 3 cases, the null case is just the initial state and it is impossible to go further in the form without selecting either "Yes" or "No", hence the maintenance difficulty mention.

forms checkboxes radio-buttons

share|improve this question

edited 1 hour ago

user3221

asked 2 hours ago

user3221user3221

1315

add a comment | 

1

In a very big form on my company's website, there's this tendency to use Yes / No radio buttons combination.

I can think of one argument of not using it, but it is not UX related: we need to maintain three states instead of just two: null, true and false for those fields.

Is there any argument, UX-wise, to use the checkbox instead?

Edit: We do not need to cover all 3 cases, the null case is just the initial state and it is impossible to go further in the form without selecting either "Yes" or "No", hence the maintenance difficulty mention.

forms checkboxes radio-buttons

share|improve this question

edited 1 hour ago

user3221

asked 2 hours ago

user3221user3221

1315

add a comment | 

In a very big form on my company's website, there's this tendency to use Yes / No radio buttons combination.

I can think of one argument of not using it, but it is not UX related: we need to maintain three states instead of just two: null, true and false for those fields.

Is there any argument, UX-wise, to use the checkbox instead?

Edit: We do not need to cover all 3 cases, the null case is just the initial state and it is impossible to go further in the form without selecting either "Yes" or "No", hence the maintenance difficulty mention.

forms checkboxes radio-buttons

share|improve this question

edited 1 hour ago

user3221

asked 2 hours ago

user3221user3221

1315

share|improve this question

edited 1 hour ago

user3221

asked 2 hours ago

user3221user3221

1315

share|improve this question

edited 1 hour ago

user3221

asked 2 hours ago

user3221user3221

1315

asked 2 hours ago

user3221user3221

1315

asked 2 hours ago

user3221user3221

1315

2 Answers
2

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oldest

votes

4

I would use the checkbox, because:

• it is visually concise (vs. radioboxes taking more screen space)


• it is the bare minimum necessary to get the job done


• it is a classic UI widget and people are familiar with it (though this applies to radio boxes too)


• a paper version of the form would look the same

Radioboxes would be a better choice if you had more than 2 states. For example, in a survey you might need {yes, no, I don't know, prefer not to say} in order to differentiate between the nuances of any option other than yes.

It would help if you asked the previous generation of people who made this interface and ask them about the rationale behind the use of radioboxes. Maybe there is a good reason for that, but it has not been documented.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

ralienralien

31116

add a comment | 

2

If you really need to cover all the use cases:

• Checkmark won't work because it can only cover two cases.


• Radio buttons should cover it, but you are missing the third option. Something in the line of "I would rather not say." Because the current setup would break if you accidentally selected something (but by the look of it you probably support unchecking the radio button?) which I don't think is a good practice.

You can read this interesting article on radio buttons by Norman Group if you need some more insight.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

rojcykrojcyk

775313

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I do not need to cover all 3 cases, the null case is just the initial state and it is impossible to go further in the form without selecting either "Yes" or "No"
  
  – user3221
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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4

I would use the checkbox, because:

• it is visually concise (vs. radioboxes taking more screen space)


• it is the bare minimum necessary to get the job done


• it is a classic UI widget and people are familiar with it (though this applies to radio boxes too)


• a paper version of the form would look the same

Radioboxes would be a better choice if you had more than 2 states. For example, in a survey you might need {yes, no, I don't know, prefer not to say} in order to differentiate between the nuances of any option other than yes.

It would help if you asked the previous generation of people who made this interface and ask them about the rationale behind the use of radioboxes. Maybe there is a good reason for that, but it has not been documented.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

ralienralien

31116

add a comment | 

4

I would use the checkbox, because:

• it is visually concise (vs. radioboxes taking more screen space)


• it is the bare minimum necessary to get the job done


• it is a classic UI widget and people are familiar with it (though this applies to radio boxes too)


• a paper version of the form would look the same

Radioboxes would be a better choice if you had more than 2 states. For example, in a survey you might need {yes, no, I don't know, prefer not to say} in order to differentiate between the nuances of any option other than yes.

It would help if you asked the previous generation of people who made this interface and ask them about the rationale behind the use of radioboxes. Maybe there is a good reason for that, but it has not been documented.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

ralienralien

31116

add a comment | 

I would use the checkbox, because:

• it is visually concise (vs. radioboxes taking more screen space)


• it is the bare minimum necessary to get the job done


• it is a classic UI widget and people are familiar with it (though this applies to radio boxes too)


• a paper version of the form would look the same

Radioboxes would be a better choice if you had more than 2 states. For example, in a survey you might need {yes, no, I don't know, prefer not to say} in order to differentiate between the nuances of any option other than yes.

It would help if you asked the previous generation of people who made this interface and ask them about the rationale behind the use of radioboxes. Maybe there is a good reason for that, but it has not been documented.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

ralienralien

31116

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

ralienralien

31116

answered 1 hour ago

ralienralien

31116

answered 1 hour ago

ralienralien

31116

2

If you really need to cover all the use cases:

• Checkmark won't work because it can only cover two cases.


• Radio buttons should cover it, but you are missing the third option. Something in the line of "I would rather not say." Because the current setup would break if you accidentally selected something (but by the look of it you probably support unchecking the radio button?) which I don't think is a good practice.

You can read this interesting article on radio buttons by Norman Group if you need some more insight.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

rojcykrojcyk

775313

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I do not need to cover all 3 cases, the null case is just the initial state and it is impossible to go further in the form without selecting either "Yes" or "No"
  
  – user3221
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

2

If you really need to cover all the use cases:

• Checkmark won't work because it can only cover two cases.


• Radio buttons should cover it, but you are missing the third option. Something in the line of "I would rather not say." Because the current setup would break if you accidentally selected something (but by the look of it you probably support unchecking the radio button?) which I don't think is a good practice.

You can read this interesting article on radio buttons by Norman Group if you need some more insight.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

rojcykrojcyk

775313

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I do not need to cover all 3 cases, the null case is just the initial state and it is impossible to go further in the form without selecting either "Yes" or "No"
  
  – user3221
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

If you really need to cover all the use cases:

• Checkmark won't work because it can only cover two cases.


• Radio buttons should cover it, but you are missing the third option. Something in the line of "I would rather not say." Because the current setup would break if you accidentally selected something (but by the look of it you probably support unchecking the radio button?) which I don't think is a good practice.

You can read this interesting article on radio buttons by Norman Group if you need some more insight.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

rojcykrojcyk

775313

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

rojcykrojcyk

775313

answered 1 hour ago

rojcykrojcyk

775313

answered 1 hour ago

rojcykrojcyk

775313